Tag: Tessa Jowell

Without the pioneers throughout the decades that she celebrates – Eleanor Rathbone campaigning for family allowances, Barbara Castle fighting for equal pay for women, and Harriet Harman and Tessa Jowell pushing for better childcare provision – there would have been much slower progress. As Reeves says, the book is a “biography of Parliament told by the women elected to it … an alternative history of Britain in the last one hundred years, told through the stories of political women”. In the 1960s, Shirley Williams and her female colleagues had their bottoms pinched by male MPs and so, in protest, wore stiletto heels which were dug into the feet of any offender – who would later be identified hobbling into the tearoom. Shirley Summerskill, a minister in a Harold Wilson government, had her hair stroked by a male MP who had stopped her in a Westminster corridor. She couldn’t report his behaviour to the Whips’ Office because the culprit was, in fact, the chief whip, Bob Mellish. Reeves discusses female MPs who have, in the past century, risked their political careers to take a principled stand: Rathbone, an independent, joined the Conservative Duchess of Atholl and Labour’s Ellen Wilkinson to oppose appeasement of fascism, and yet their contribution has been overlooked by history. The duchess resigned as an MP in November 1938 to force a byelection – and yet did not receive public support from Churchill, who didn’t want to take a political risk (she lost). The theme of sisterhood across the parties runs through the book and the century. Today, female MPs are subjected to a barrage of abuse. Women of Westminster shows how far female MPs have come, but how challenging their work remains.

The dignity and courage of Tessa Jowell was praised by politicians across the spectrum on Sunday, after her family revealed she had died of brain cancer. Paying tribute to Jowell, Downing Street announced it would double its investment in brain cancer research to £40m and roll out a new gold standard of tests for brain cancer to all NHS hospitals, a key focus of Jowell’s campaigning in the last months of her life. The prime minister, Theresa May, the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, and the former prime minister Tony Blair led tributes to Jowell on Sunday morning, alongside former cabinet colleagues and MPs who praised her work on Sure Start, a flagship scheme to support children in the early years, her success in bringing the Olympic Games to London and her later campaigning on cancer research. Theresa May (@theresa_may) The dignity and courage with which Dame Tessa Jowell confronted her illness was humbling and it was inspirational. My sympathies to her loving family - Dame Tessa’s campaigning on brain cancer research is a lasting tribute to a lifetime of public service. Mills, who runs the food blog Deliciously Ella, said Jowell was the “warmest and kindest soul ... and she achieved an extraordinary amount – I know her family are the thing that made her most proud.” May said Jowell had “faced her illness with dignity and courage” and said she hoped the action on brain cancer the government would now take would “form part of the lasting legacy of an inspirational woman.” Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) Devastating to hear the news of Tessa Jowell's death. Her strength in raising awareness of her illness and fighting for better treatment for others inspired us all May 13, 2018 Corbyn said Jowell’s “achievements were huge, including helping to bring the Olympics to London”, and said her fight for better brain cancer treatment had been an inspiration. There was no one like Tessa and no one better. She stepped down as MP for Dulwich and West Norwood in 2015 and ran as a candidate for the Labour nomination for mayor of London, but was beaten by Sadiq Khan. The health secretary also tweeted his condolences, praising Jowell’s huge achievements, including her Olympics legacy.

The government announced on Sunday an increase in funding for brain cancer research in tribute to Jowell, who was recently called “an inspiration” for her speeches after being diagnosed. We would like to hear from readers whose lives she touched through her career or personal life, and to highlight some of your memories as part of our coverage. Share your tributes and memories Did you meet Jowell in a personal or professional capacity? How did she affect your life or that of your family or community? Share your thoughts and memories using our form below and we’ll publish a selection of your contributions. Tell us a little about yourself – age, what you do, etc* What is your favourite personal memory of Tessa Jowell or her work? If you met Jowell, tell us what happened, and when If you have a picture that helps tell your story, you can upload it here File uploads may not work on some mobile devices. * Email* One of our journalists may contact you to discuss your story Can we publish your response? * Yes Yes, but please keep me anonymous No Enter your save and resume password Cancel Confirm If you’re having trouble using the form, click here. Read terms of service here.

After the unexpected death of John Smith in May 1994, Jowell was one of the first Labour MPs to assert Blair’s claim to inherit the Labour leadership. “She is a great person, Tessa, just a gem,” wrote Blair. She had also made a number of important social and political connections, moving as she did in a circle of increasingly influential Labour supporters, many of whom shared her belief in the need for a party shakeup. From 1990 until her election to parliament she worked for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and was a senior visiting fellow at the health and social care charity the King’s Fund. In 1971, she was elected to Camden council in London and within two years was chairing the social services committee. In 1970, she had married the social scientist Roger Jowell, who was also a Camden councillor, but she then met and fell in love with Mills. She was promoted to the cabinet as culture secretary in 2001, with the Olympics added as a special responsibility in 2005. When Gordon Brown succeeded Blair as prime minister in 2007, he kept Jowell on as Olympics minister, but she was demoted from the cabinet. In Labour’s last year in office before the 2010 election she was given the job of minister for London and she retained her responsibility for both the Olympics and for London until 2012. • Tessa Jane Helen Douglas Jowell, Lady Jowell, politician, born 17 September 1947; died 12 May 2018

It is not that there is a lack of political understanding of the possibility -- indeed the need -- for a deal, at least on the part of the 27 countries that will remain member states of the European Union after the UK leaves. Nor is there a lack of talent on the UK's side. The only way to understand modern British politicians as they address Brexit is to realize that they have infantilized politics. Former senior civil servant Sir Martin Donnelly quipped that leaving the European Union because trade might be better outside was "giving up a three-course meal [now]... for the promise of a packet of crisps in the future." The Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party -- which props up Theresa May's minority Conservative government -- is using its position both to extort money from the Prime Minister and to champion a so-called hard Brexit -- ignoring Northern Ireland's vote to stay in the EU. And what about the opposition Labour Party? The tragedy is not simply in the outcome -- a bad Brexit means a Britain that is permanently poorer. But it is also a tragedy in the process -- because there is a practical and pragmatic deal to be done. Could Britain live being out of the EU, but in the Customs Union and the Single Market? Maybe my son was right all those years ago: Childish behavior needs the sanctions of a good parent.